Beet handling apparatus



Sept. 30, 1941. s v 2,257,352

BEET HANDLING APPARATUS Filed Feb. 19, 1940 2 Sheets-Sheet l lA/VE/YTO? H/l KPOLD E 8/4. v51? Sept. 30, 1941. H. F. SILVER BEET HANDLING APPARATUS Filed Feb. 19, 1940 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 28 This invention relates to certain improvements in beet handling apparatus as originally disclosed in my pending application Serial No.

as being particularly adapted to handle sugar Patented Sept. 30, 1941 UNITED STATES] PATENT OFFICE BEET HANDLING APPARATUS Harold F. Silver, Denver, Colo. Application February 19, 1940, Serial No. 319,678 2 Claims. ,(ol. 209-104) 45,693, filed October 19, 1935, of which application this is a continuation in part. This is an; improvement over the screening device disclosed in United States Patent No, 1,899,292 to George W. Rienks.

beets, it will be manifest that apparatus built according to this inventive concept can be used for handling other things where combined conveying and screening actions are wanted.

There is a step in the handling of sugar beets where they are elevated either for piling or for loading into a railway car, at which time dirt, leaves and other unwanted trash should rated trash for reweighing.

Another object is to provide such screening apparatus that is particularly adapted to cooperate with an elevator, whereby the beets are delivered to said screen at a sufiicient elevation above the ground so that they may be discharged from the screen by gravity.

Other objects and advantages reside in details of design and construction which will be more fully disclosed in the following description and in the drawings wherein like parts have been similarly designated and in which:

Figure 1 is a sectional view illustrating screening apparatus made according to this invention, inclusive of fragmentary sectional views of an elevator positioned to deliver beets or the like to the screen, and a fragmentary view of a conveyor positioned to carry away beets or the like from the screen;

Figure 2 is a fragmentary plan view of the apparatus illustrated in Figure 1; and

Figure 3 is a diagrammatic illustration of a typical power transmission mechanism that may well be 'used in operating the apparatus illustrated in Figures 1 and 2. i i

In order to disclose a typical embodiment of the present inventive concept, the accompanying drawings will be described in detail. However, the instant illustration is not intended to express or imply any limitation to the present invention, the scope of which is, in reality, measured by the appended claims.

In the drawings, reference character 5 denotes an elevator that is provided with an elevating belt 6 and a hugger belt 1, between which sugar beetsor the like may be elevated and discharged into the separating hopper 8.

As beets are discharged from the elevator 5, they will be moving in the direction indicated by arrow 9, and they will fall upon a series of rotary screen members H! which are rotated in the direction of the arrows [0a and which are mounted. in staggered relation upon shafts 12.

Each rotary screen member 19 preferably comprises a hub 13, a plurality of radial arms 14 and a lobed rim l5 providing a non-circular per-- imeter. By referring to Figure 2, apreferred arrangement ofthese rotary screen members 19 may be visualized and it will be seen that each shaft 12 carries a plurality of thescreen-members, and the members on adjacent shafts l2 are in staggered overlapping relationship. The rotary screen members 10 on adjacent shafts l2 do not contact each other, but are in slight axially spaced relationship, the'spacing being such that sugar beets or the like cannot fall therebetween, but dirt, leaves andtrash generally will fall between the rotary screen members IO into the lower portion of hopper 8.

Due to the non-circular contour of the perimeters of the rotary screen members I0, beets or the like discharged thereupon will be agitated as they are moved progressively forward in the direction of the arrows IOa. Obviously, this treatment tends to loosen and separate dirt, leaves and unwanted matter from the beets. Some dirt and foreign matter usually will be separated from the beets during their elevation in elevator 5 and this trash too will be delivered upon and among the screen members In and normally will immediately pass downwardly through the assembly of screen members into the lower portion of the hopper 8.

As the beets progress along the upper edges of the screen members l0, they will be discharged at a downward angle onto screen members l6,

carried upon shafts l2a, which rotate in a direction opposite to that of the screen members ll] as indicated by arrows 16a. 7 An important feature of the present arrangement is that the rotary screen members l6 that are next adjacent the rotary screen members ID are positioned in overlapping or interlaced relationship therewith. These adjacent rotary screen members that are thus interlaced rotate in opposite directions to pull leaves,'dirt and trash down into the hopper 8 and at the same time they have a definite cleaning effect on each other. 7

The lower rotary screen members 18 have a further cleaning effect upon the upper screenmembers I6 that interlace with the screen members I0. enhanced by driving the two. shafts [2a at slightly different speeds, which is the preferred arrangement.

While thisv arrangement is particularly efficient in pullingleaves, trash and dirt away from the beets and down into the hopper :8, it does. not tend to drag the beetsthrough but rather carries or bounces them alongv on thesurfaces of the screen members as they, are conveyed forward.

As the beets traverse the upper edgesof the screen members I6, they will .be moving in a direction opposite to said upper edges, but the forward and downward components of motion:

imparted to them by the rotary screen members In and by gravity will move them along into discharge spout II, but dirt, leaves and trash generally, of lighter. weight, that may still be present, will tend to be thrown back and into the lower portion of hopper 8. I

The screened beets thus separated from their accompanying dirt and trash will be delivered to a conveyor belt l8, to be taken to the storage pile or the railway car. v

Dirt, leaves and trash will fall through the open bottom 8a of the hopper 8 tobe discharged onto a conveyor l9, to be taken to a suitable collecting receptacle forreweighingin order accurately to determine the net weight of the beets? in turn drives the hugger belt I of theelevator 5.:

A sprocket chain 24 drives asprocket 25 to actuate the elevator belt 6. 1

A sprocket chain 25, drives a sprocket 21 mounted upon the first shaft I2 of the series, and driving power is thence transmitted through the intermediary of a series of short sprocket chains 28 to rotate each of the-shafts l2 and theirassociated rotary screen members 'i U in the direction indicated by the arrows loaf l '1 The last shaft l2 in theseries carries a gear 29 that meshes with asimilar gear 30 carried upon the first shaft I2a, which is 'therebyrotated in the oppositedirection. A short sprocket chain 3| transmits powerto the other shaft 12a so that these shafts lZa and their associated rotary screen members IE will rotate in a direction opposite to that of the screen members 170.

Radial projections 33 may be providedat the This screening effect may be still further perimeters of the rotary screen members l6,the

purpose of which is further to facilitate the selfcleaning function thereof.

The slight differential in the speed of rotation of the two shafts 12a which carry the rotary screen members l6, brings the projections 33 around between the opposite pairs of screen members at a different relative position at each rotation. The continuous closed rims of the rotary screen members If! and [6 are advantageous in their cleaning, screening, agitating and conveying functions, particularly in those adjacent members that rotate in opposite directions, but this continuous closed rim [5 may be omitted from some of the members I51. Solid rolls in place of the rotary screen members R6 are not self-cleaning nor as efiicient in their screening functions, because they cannot be in terlaced with each other nor can they be interlaced with the next adjacent rotary screen members l0. Under some circumstances, the lower shaft l2a and its associated rotary screen members 16 may be omitted, leaving only the shaft 7 embodiment ofthis inventive concept, changes as desired may be made within the scope of the appended claims without departing from this inventive concept. d

What I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. In apparatus of the character disclosed, the improvement which comprises a plurality of shafts mounted for rotation in a substantially horizontal plane, a plurality of axially spaced lobed screen members mounted on said shafts in staggered interlaced positions, with reference to each other, a plurality of shafts journalledbe'low the plane of the first said shafts in a plane'that is inclined with reference to the plane of thefirst said shafts, a plurality, of axially spaced lobed screenmembers mounted upon the last named shafts in staggered interlaced relationship with each other, the rotary screen members on the cent shaft in the inclined plane being also in staggered interlaced relationship with each other,

and means for rotating the shafts in the horizontal plane and the shafts ;in;the inclined plane simultaneously and in opposite directions.

2. In apparatus of the character disclosed, the improvement which comprises a plurality of shafts mounted for rotation in a substantially horizontal plane, a plurality of axially spaced lobed screen members mounted on said shafts in staggered interlaced positions with referenceto each other, a plurality of shafts journalled below the plane of the first said shafts in ;a plane that is inclined with reference to the plane of the first said shafts, a plurality of axially spaced lobed screen members mounted upon the last named shafts in staggered interlaced relationship with each other, the rotary screen members on the shaft in the horizontal plane and the next adjacent shaft in the inclined plane being also in staggered interlaced relationship with each other, and means for rotating the shafts in the horizontal plane and the shafts in the inclined plane simultaneously and in opposite directions and at different speeds of rotation.. f

HAROLD F. SILVER. 

